


It's Been A Hell Of A Ride

by donsboy



Category: CSI: NY
Genre: Anger, Car Accident, Heavy Angst, M/M, OC Character Death, Sadness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-06
Updated: 2017-08-06
Packaged: 2018-12-12 03:42:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11728782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/donsboy/pseuds/donsboy
Summary: Don loses Jackson in an accident.





	It's Been A Hell Of A Ride

…..hey, babe!”

“Hi, Donnie, what's up?”

“I called to see if you might be free for lunch today.....”

“I think that can be arranged. What did you have in mind?”

“I thought maybe we could get to-go order from Pressman's and go to the park.....”

“That sounds great! What time?”

“Meet me at Pressman's around 12:30.....”

“I will definitely be there!”

“Great! I'll see you then.....by the way, I love you.....”

“I love you, too!”

Don ended the call and got back to work. Jackson did the same, and before he knew it, it was almost noon. He knew he needed to get moving so he could meet Don on time. He closed the shop, got in his car and headed uptown. Jackson was making excellent time getting to Pressman's. He caught green lights most of the way, and just knew he was going to be on time. One block from Pressman's, Jackson's luck ran out. He had the green light, and just as he started through the intersection, he was broadsided by at teenager in a souped-up Camaro. Jackson's last conscious thought was of Don.

Don was waiting outside the deli and saw the accident happen. He called it in on his portable, making sure to let dispatch to hurry with the bus. He took off down the street at a dead run, pushing and shoving people out of the way in his haste to get to Jackson. When he got to the crash site, he started asking people to move out of the way, and that an ambulance was on its' way. When the cops arrived, Don gave a witness statement as did others who saw the crash. He was beginning to become agitated with all the questions, and finally told the cop that he wanted to check on the condition of his husband, and that if he had any more questions, he could reach him on his cell. Don made it to the ambulance as they were loading Jackson inside. The EMT asked what hospital, and Don told him Mercy General and that Dr. James Chapman was Jackson's regular physician. The EMT thanked him for the information, and they headed for the hospital.

When the ambulance arrived at the hospital, Dr. Chapman was waiting for them. The EMT gave him all the pertinent information regarding Jackson's condition, and the doctor took over from there. He began barking orders and people began to get started. Dr. Chapman noticed Don sitting alone in the ER waiting room and called to him. Don's head snapped up and saw the doctor motioning to him. Don rose on trembling legs and walked over to the doctor......

“How are you holding up, Don?”

“Not so good, Doc.....”

“Listen, I want you to know that we're going to do out very best for Jackson. Based on his injuries, it's gonna take a while, but I promise that as soon as I know more, I will let you know.....”

“Thanks, Doc.....”

The nurse at the nurse's station showed Don to a lounge where he could wait comfortably and with a modicum of privacy. He got some coffee and settled down for a long wait. After about an hour, there was a knock on the lounge door. Don said; “Come in.....” and Mac and Danny came in.

The men asked about Jackson, and Don explained that he hadn't heard anything yet. Mac asked Don how he was, and Don said he was hanging in there. Danny asked about what Dr. Chapman had said. Don replied that Dr. Chapman had told him that he would let him know as soon as he could. The three men talked of everything and nothing while they waited. After what seemed like an eternity, a nurse stuck her head in the door asking for the Flack party. All three men stood, and the nurse asked which one of the men was Don. He stepped forward, and she motioned for him to follow her.

Don followed the nurse down the hall to the Intensive Care Unit. When Don saw the sign, he began to panic. The nurse stopped outside the door and turned to Don.....

“Mr. Flack, Jackson just got out of surgery and has been asking for you. He's still sedated, but don't panic. I know that's easier said than done, but Jackson needs rest and quiet. I've been told you can stay for ten minutes. By then, Dr. Chapman will want to speak to you again.....”

“I understand, nurse..... thank you.....”

“I must warn you, Jackson suffered severe trauma from the accident.....”

“I know..... I saw it happen.....”

“I apologize.... I had no idea.....”

Don finished his conversation with the nurse ande turned to open the door to Jackson's room. Nothing could have prepared him for the sight of his baby lying in that hospital bed. It looked like he was bandaged from head to toe, and Don could see that his left left and arm were broken because of the casts. Just as Don bent down to kiss Jackson's cheek, Jackson opened his eyes and smile.....

“Hi ya, Donnie!”

“Hey, baby..... how do you feel?”

“Right now I feel great, but I know once the pain meds wear off, I'm gonna feel like hammered shit!”

“I'm sure you will. Baby, I can't stay long, but as soon as Doc Chapman says so, I'll be here as much as I can.....”

“You promise?”

“Yes, baby, I promise....”

“Donnie?”

“What is it, babe?”

“I love you.....”

“And I love you..... I'll see you soon, okay?”

“Okay...... I'm starting to get sleepy again.....”

“Get some rest, babe......”

“Bye bye, Donnie.....”

Don left the room fighting back tears. He stood in the hallway for a moment trying to re-gain his composure. It hurt him so much to see Jackson in such bad shape, but what hurt even worse was the fact that there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. Once he'd gotten himself together, he went back to the lounge where Mac and Danny were waiting. Both men wanted to know about Jackson, and Don explained that Jackson was in pretty bad shape. Just then, Dr. Chapman came in to explain about Jackson's condition........

“Have you seen Jackson yet, Don?”

“Yes..... one of the nurses let me go in for just a few moments......”

“So you can see that he's in pretty bad shape?”

“Yes, sir..... how bad is it, Doc?”

“He has some minor head injuries, the broken limbs, and there was some internal damage as well.....”

“What kind of internal injuries do he have?”

“Besides the broken ribs, he has a ruptured spleen, tearing in the intestinal lining, a punctured lung, and we're having to monitor him for blood clots traveling through his system.....”

“What does that mean?'

“We're watching for the clots because we don't want one to enter the damaged lung because if it does, it could kill him. The lung is already damaged, and clot would only make it worse.”

Dr. Chapman didn't have to say anymore. Don understood, and though every fiber of his being wanted to tear the doctor apart, Don was calm and thanked the doctor for the information. He remembered to ask when he could see Jackson again, and the doctor said he could have fifteen minutes each hour. He went on to say that Jackson would most likely sleep through the night, and that Don should go home and try to get some rest.

After the doctor left, Danny walked over to Don and put his arm around his friend's shoulder.....

“Don, is there anything Mac or I can do for you?'

“No, but thank you for asking.....”

“Don, don't hesitate to call if you need anything.....”

“I won't, Mac...... thanks for offering......”

“Are you spending the night here?”

“Yeah.... I don't want to be too far from Jackson in case he gets worse. Danny, I may call you in the morning to bring my shaving kit and some fresh clothes.....”

“No problem..... I'll use my spare key.....”

Mac could tell that Don really wanted t be alone, so he told Danny that they needed to get going. Mac offered to bring Don some food, but Don said he would get something later. The men shook hands and Mac steered Danny to the door. After Mac and Danny left, Don heaved a huge sigh of relief. He knew his friends meant well, but all he could think about was Jackson. What Dr. Chapman told him had scared the living hell out of him. Just the idea that he could lose the only man he'd ever loved sent Don's mind to places he really didn't want to go. The idea of life without his baby was almost too much to take in. Don knew Jackson was a fighter, and would find a way to get through this. He simply had to!

While Don was alone in the lounge with his thoughts, Jackson was trying to piece together what happened. He remembered being on the way to meet Don at Pressman's, and he remembered the crash. Some idiot had t-boned him and he remembered being pissed off. He remembered trying to get out of the car, but every time he tried, he hurt all over, and the damn door wouldn't budge. The next thing he remembered was hearing Don yelling for him, but he could seem to get enough air into his lungs to answer because his chest really hurt. Jackson was starting to hurt again, so he reached over and pushed the magic button that delivered the pain meds to his system. Just as he did so, Don came into the room.....

“Hey, babe....”

“Hey, Donnie....”

“How are you feeling?”

“I'll be fine here shortly. I just pushed the button to deliver more pain meds.....”

“Are you in a lot of pain, babe?”

“It gets pretty rough sometimes, especially when it gets hard to breathe.....”

“That's most likely from the punctured lung.....”

“Dr. Chapman explained all my injuries to me in great detail. He's worried about blood clots. You don't have to tip-toe around it, babe...... the doc already told me....”

Don looked away so Jackson wouldn't see the tears that were threatening to fall.....

“Donnie, turn around here and look at me.....”

“What is it, baby?”

“Please don't cry.....”

“I can't help it, babe. There's a chance I might lose you, and I can't stand the thought of that!”

“Maybe the medicine they are giving me will dissolve the clots.....”

“I hope you're right, babe....”

Don looked at his watch and saw that his time with Jackson was almost up. He walked over to Jackson's bedside and took his hand.....

“Baby, you know that I've always loved you, and that I've tried my best to be a good partner to you.....”

“Donnie, I know that..... you've never given me any reason to think otherwise.......”

Jackson never finished his thought because the pain med had kicked in and he fell asleep. Don kissed his forehead and quietly left the room. He went outside to the smoking area and lit a smoke, deep in thought. What was he gonna do if he lost Jackson? How was he gonna carry on? One thing he was sure about was the fact that he would go it alone because he knew he would never find another man like Jackson. Men like him came around once in a lifetime. He was brought out of his thoughts by his cell. He saw the familiar number and let it go to voice mail. He really did appreciate Mac and Danny's concern, but he just wasn't up to talking to them at the moment. Instead, Don began to pray like he'd never prayed before. He asked God to watch over Jackson and to please help him get well. He didn't ask for anything for himself, he just wanted God to watch over Jackson. After he finished his prayers, he went back inside to wait until he could see Jackson again.

Don must have dozed off because he came awake to someone frantically shaking his shoulder. He asked what was wrong, and the nurse said she would explain on the way. Don stood up and followed the nurse, who was hurrying to the ICU. When Don realized they were headed to Jackson's room, he began to panic. He asked what was going on, and the nurse explained that two blood clots had traveled to Jackson's bad lung, and that he was having trouble breathing. She went on to say that Dr. Chapman wanted to operate, but was afraid to do so because the lung had suffered so much trauma already. Just then, Dr. Chapman stepped into the room and asked to speak to Don out in the hall.....

“What's happening, Doc?”

“I'm sure the nurse explained everything to you.....”

“She did, but I want to hear it from you!”

“The clots we were worried about have reached the lung damaged in the wreck, and there's not a whole lot I can do about it. If I try to operate, I may do more damage to his lung.....”

“And if you don't, he'll die!”

“Don, please understand, if I could do more, I would. My hands are tied.....”

 

Don turned away from the doctor and went back into Jackson's room. He told the nurse that he would like some privacy to be with Jackson. Jackson opened those beautiful blue/green eyes of hiws and smiled when he saw his Donnie standing there.....

“Hey, babe.....”

“Baby, are you okay?”

“Other than the elephant sitting on my chest, I'm fine.....”

Don laughed at Jackson's joke. He was always able to come up with a funny one-liner to fit any situation.....

“Baby, you know this is bad, right?”

“I know...... the nurse explained everything to me.....”

“Baby, I want to fix this somehow, but I don't know what to do......”

“Donnie, don't fret about it.... let's just talk about old times.....”

The two men reminisced about their courtship and the early years of their marriage, along with some of the fun they'd had along the way. Jackson was getting more tired and weaker. Don decided that he wasn't going anywhere, because he didn't want Jackson to be alone when the end came. They talked until Jackson's breathing became labored and shallow.....

“Baby, maybe it's time to stop talking for a bit.....”

Jackson took a long time to answer, and Don knew the end was drawing close. He looked into Jackson's eyes and said; “Baby, I love you, and it's been a hell of a ride......” Jackson smiled slightly, winked at Don and closed his eyes for the last time........

 

EPILOGUE:  
Don never really got over Jackson. Danny was always trying to fix him up with someone until one Day, Don finally told Danny to knock it off. Don stated that he was capable of finding someone if he chose to. He stated he did not try finding anyone else because there was only Jackson, and no one would ever measure up to him, and besides, there was no one he knew of that could take him on the hell of a ride that Jackson did........


End file.
